Useful Advices - Business

Although I never met the man, I imagine Lou Boudreau would have made one heck of a field sales trainer. In 1942 the 24-year old Cleveland Indians shortstop was promoted to player/manager of his team, and for the next eight years Boudreau did what we, as trainers, are called upon to do every day: demonstrate success, inspire
According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product
i> success and cultivate success. Think of it as the triple play of sales training.

DEMONSTRATE

A seven-time All-Star shortstop, Boudreau was only the second manager to take the Indians to a World Series Championship, and no one has done so since. Clearly, he was a man who demonstrated success. As field s
; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in
ales trainers we must similarly make success a habit. A field contact with a trainer may be the first “in situ” opportunity a new rep has to test their impressions of the company, and possibly selling in general. Is what we say consistent with the corporate sales direction? Is what we do consistent with what we say? Most importantly,
lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

re we successful at gaining customer commitment and moving the sales process forward?

Inexperienced reps may need guidance on effective territory management and specific techniques for gaining access to prospects. Experienced reps are more familiar with the demands of the position, so their concerns are usually more territory-spec
here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe
ific. Their willingness to accept us as role models may depend on how well we demonstrate successful resolution of field challenges: “The key thought leader in my area is on the speaker’s bureau for Competitor X. How can I compete with that?” “Most of my key decision makers won’t see reps. What can I do to impact their decision making
d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro
process?” Established reps need to know that we have successfully overcome similar challenges and can give them strategies to do the same.

Demonstrating success is also vital because as field sales trainers we hold a uniquely dual role in the sales organization. In addition to the time we spend training and coaching sales reps, mo
ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc
t of us are responsible for increasing sales and growing market share in our assigned territories. Our ability to manage our time and territory productively is vital in order to reach our own performance goals.

INSPIRE

Selling is fun when sales are good, but experienced reps know that’s not always the case. With
easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi
out any warning you run smack into a competitor’s newly expanded sales force. Your blockbuster technology launches with software challenges. You spent your weekend studying a new clinical reprint, but every doctor you see wants to talk about last night’s expos? on the cost of prescription drugs.

Inspiration is our second wind. It
nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically
keeps us focused on the big picture when our progress temporarily stalls. It’s a safe bet that all sales reps want to succeed… a good trainer will inspire them to succeed. The wanting gives us aim, but it is the inspiration that makes us reach. Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller understood the power of inspiration to drive performance: “I
and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ
remember in 1948... I was having a rough season, and instead of replacing me Lou (Boudreau) said ‘We’re going to sink or swim with Feller’. After he said that I won 10 of my last 12 games. He instilled a confidence in his players they never forgot.”

In the final analysis inspiration is unique to the individual, so figuring out how
ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi
to inspire our sales reps may be the most challenging aspect of being a trainer. It can also be the most rewarding.

One way to inspire success is to celebrate its many forms. Baseball fans illustrate this perfectly. Do they wait soundlessly for the final out in the bottom of the ninth? Of course not! They cheer every solid crack
ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a
of the bat… every difficult catch… every stolen base, because they recognize that each of these small successes brings them closer to their ultimate goal. The more skillful the play the more fervent the cheer, which motivates the athletes to stretch their abilities to achieve even more.

I think the single most inspiring thing you
dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod
an do is to pay attention to your reps. Don’t wait until the bottom of the ninth to commend their progress. Make a point to notice their incremental gains and celebrate their success!

CULTIVATE

When I first started in sales I thought I should be just like Gregg, the most successful member of my team. I stifled m
cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin
y own personality and conducted my sales presentations as if I were Gregg, copying his voice inflections, the rhythm of his speech, and even some of his jokes. It wasn’t long before I began to suspect that his achievement was more a matter of luck than skill, because clearly, this selling approach was a failure!

In truth, the fail
tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen
ure was mine. By rejecting my personal style I had violated one of the fundamental principles in cultivating success: respect individuality. Gregg’s approach worked for him because it was his. When I rediscovered my style and trusted my own instinct, that’s when I developed success. When Boudreau was promoted to player/manager his team
t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel
was made up of more than just shortstops. He led his team to victory by relying on each player’s unique strengths to overcome the challenges of their position. Whether we are working with new or veteran reps, we must respect that their individual traits and talents have gotten them this far. Our job is to expect more.

How can we h
ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust
elp our reps progress from expecting more to achieving more? By encouraging risk taking and new behaviors. Too conservative a team culture makes it difficult to raise the bar; few are willing to reach higher, for fear of falling short. As trainers we should be first at bat, risking innovative approaches and new ideas. Boudreau wasn’t a
y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products
fraid to think differently. He recognized that teammate Bob Lemon was misplaced as an infielder, so he reassigned him to pitcher, liberating Lemon from mediocrity and helping him achieve MVP/All Star status.

BATTER UP!

Just as a coach can’t swing the bat for the player at the plate, we can’t be with our teams ev
.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de
ry play of the game. We must share our best techniques for sales success, so that when split-second adjustments need to be made, they have the skills to make the right ones.

“I can’t be with you every day” has become something of a team slogan; a reminder that ultimately we each bear responsibility for creating our own success. As
elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip
trainers our mission is to teach the art of unflinching self-assessment. Perhaps the most important thing we can give our reps is the ability to evaluate themselves honestly and specifically. Once they master that skill set they will be rounding third and heading for home!

Copyright ©2004 by Sally Bacchetta. All rights reserved

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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Useful Advices - Train a Winning Sales Team: Rounding Third and Heading for Home

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